Skip to main content

How to care for pothos plants that seem to be getting too much sun

Pothos are among the most popular house plants ever. Their elegant vining and easy care are the main reasons almost all plant enthusiasts love this plant. But if you’re a new parent of a pothos, you may have some questions or concerns about proper care. One of the easiest and most common mistakes is providing a pothos with too much sun. 

pothos plant care

Too much sun?

Pothos’ genus name is Epipremnum aureum, which roughly means “upon the trunk,” as it naturally grows on the trunks of trees near the forest floor. Here, pothos can reach up to 40 feet in length. More importantly, the plant seldom gets direct sunlight. The canopy of the forest trees shade the pothos allowing only medium to low amounts of light. That’s why placing a pothos in a window with direct sunlight can lead to disaster. This will cause the plant’s leaves to yellow, and they might even burn. Over time this amount of sun exposure could kill the plant. 

Related Videos

If you’re concerned about exposure, notice whether your pothos is receiving any direct sunlight. If so, move it to a shadier location and use disinfected cutting shears to remove any damaged leaves. 

Another sign that your pothos is getting too much sun is if the variegation is losing its contrast. The lighter parts of a variegated plant do not produce enough chlorophyll when exposed to a lot of sun. When Golden Queen Pothos are experiencing too much light, the lovely variegated leaves can become washed out. Move the plant to a low to medium light location and watch the plant for a few weeks to see if the colors come back. 

Ideal water and sun conditions

Ideally, pothos love medium light. This means they will thrive in a room that gets bright, indirect light. Whether the window has curtains or allows for light without it being direct, that’s probably an excellent place for your plant. They do well either hanging, trailing, or dangling down cabinets, dressers, plant stands, or in a basket from the ceiling. Plant lovers even use mini Command hooks to trail the pothos vine around the room. 

The pothos plant wants to dry out between waterings. The best way to determine if your plant needs to be watered is with a water meter. These affordable devices can be purchased from Amazon, Lowes, Home Depot, or almost any garden center. Users stick the device into the plant’s soil, and the meter will tell you if the soil is wet, moist, or dry. While the finger test works with smaller pots, larger pots can still be wet at the bottom and, if watered again, could cause root rot. Root rot isn’t something to chance since it can kill a plant within days, and there isn’t much gardeners can do to save it. 

After determining that your pothos needs to be watered, be sure to saturate the soil thoroughly. When it rains, it pours, and taking your pothos into the shower for a lovely leaf cleaning can be the difference between a surviving pothos and a thriving pothos. 

If you can’t take your pothos to the shower, water the pothos until there is water coming out of the bottom of the pot. This ensures all the soil has been soaked and the roots have plenty of supply until the next watering. 

watering pothos

How to help a withering pothos

A withering pothos takes the guesswork out of when to water. The plant is telling you with its leaves that it needs a drink. Do not mistake a withering pothos for an overwatered pothos. If you’re unsure, grab your water meter and check the soil. It’s likely going to tell you the plant needs water. 

No matter if you’re a seasoned house plant grower or you’re new to the game, there are always going to be questions and concerns that pop up about your plant babies. With as much time, money, and love as we pour into these plants, it’s no wonder we go into a mild panic when leaves turn yellow or start to wilt. Look for the signs your pothos will give you when it needs less light (yellowing leaves) and when it needs more water (wilting leaves), and you’ll have a stunning and thriving plant to show off to all your guests. 

Editors' Recommendations

How to propagate succulents: Simple ways to multiply these easy-care plants
Propagate succulent

Succulents are relatively low maintenance when it comes to care, and propagating them is no exception. While you can grow them in water as you would with many houseplants, there are actually several ways to create even more of these hardy plants to share with fellow succulent enthusiasts. If you’ve always wanted to know how to propagate succulents easily, read ahead to learn all of the best ways to go about it—it’s probably easier than you think!

How to propagate succulents in soil
Propagate succulents with leaves
One of the easiest ways to propagate succulents is by placing their leaves in soil. It really is as simple as it sounds. Start by slowly and gently twisting mature leaves off of the succulent that you want to clone. Make sure that pieces of the stem aren’t attached to the leaves, as this could keep them from rooting properly. Leave the succulent pieces facing upwards on cactus soil for a few days to allow them to form a callus—this way, they won’t rot.

Read more
6 low-maintenance outdoor potted plants your patio needs to be its brightest, most inviting self this summer
low maintenance patio plants randy fath csk5xpo87li unsplash

It's hard to resist the call of warm weather. Outdoor parties, barbecues, and dinners on the patio are all activities we love to take part in when the sun is out. Some bright colors and interesting plants could liven up this gathering spot, but what if your thumb isn't even remotely green? No problem! These easy-to-care-for potted plants will be happy to hang out with you all growing season long. It doesn't matter if you have a sun-blasted deck or a shady back patio; we've got you covered with plants for both situations so that you can create a stunning backdrop for all those fun parties with your friends and family. 
Have a patio that gets baked by the sun all day? Try these plants!
Many of our favorite plants would wither up and die if exposed to the harsh sun all through the day. Here are some sun-loving beauties that thrive in full sun and are resistant to drought. 

Marigolds
Marigolds are one of the most popular flowering plants to place in pots on front porches or back decks. With their bright yellow and orange blooms, it's easy to see why! Not only are they gorgeous flowers, but they require almost effortless care. They prefer to dry out between waterings, and they love full sun. That means you can let them hang out in the sun and not worry about killing them if you miss a watering day.

Read more
Do you live in climate zone 6? How to tell if your plants will last
A hand reaching up to pick a ripe red apple

With cool winters and long summers, climate zone 6 offers a lovely and agreeable environment to grow a range of flowers, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables. Its mildly freezing winters make it ideal for plants that need a cooling period to thrive come the growing season, but you may occasionally want to overwinter some plants or cover them in frost blankets. If you live in zone 6 and want to know which plants will last in your garden throughout the year, here’s what you need to know.

Where is zone 6?
Wondering what climate zones actually are? The United States Department of Agriculture has developed the handy Plant Hardiness Zone Map to divide the country into areas based on annual minimum temperature ranges. Today, the map consists of 13 different zones. Specific regions will have unique climates, but hardiness zones are a reliable general guideline for gardening. When a plant is “hardy” to a zone, it means that it will usually survive there over the wintertime. A perennial plant in a particular climate zone will last more than just one growing season in it, while an annual will die out after one growing season. When browsing for plants, check the labels to see the hardiness zone—this will let you know if that plant will last in your region.

Read more